Improvement in plaiting-gages



H. W. ATWATER.

- PLEATING-IGAGE. N.17a,zz6, Patented June 6,1876,

UNITE STATES PATENT Orrron.

HENRY W. ATWATER, OF LAWRENCE, MASSACHUSETTS.

. IMPROVEMENT IN PLAlTlNG-GAGES. v

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 178,226, dated June 6, 1 876 application filed April 22, 1876.

To all whom'it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY W. ATWATER,

of Lawrence, in the county of Essex, State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Plaiting-Gages, of which the following is a description sufficiently full, clear, and exact to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which my invention appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, in which Figure l is a plan view, showing a set of my improved gages of different sizes.

My invention relates to that class of plaiting-gages which are designed to Be used by hand, in contradistinction to those employed in connection with sewing-machines; and consists in a novel construction and arrahgement of the parts, as hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed, by which a more effective device I metal, and are provided with two notches upon one side, as shown. Each of these notches has one vertical wall or side, ah, and one inclined wall or side, a; 2, at the base of which there is a circular aperture, m. The size of the gage has reference to its'capacity in forming plaits,

the one-inch gage turning plaits of thatwidth,

and the same rule applying to the larger and smaller sizes. In each of the gages the distance betweenthe-outer end or point (1 and the first vertical side or shoulder h is the same as the distance between the point h and side or shoulder a-for instance, in the one inch gage the distance between the points at h is one inch, and between the points a h the same.

It is well known that in measuring off the cloth into plaits by an ordinary scale or measure divided into inches and fractional parts thereof much difficulty is experienced in getting the plaits perfectly even or uni- I form, on account of'the cloth stretching and. slipping over the marks. The notches in my improved gages obviate this difficulty, as the cloth'may be slightly pressed over or against the verticall edge or side of the notch during the process of folding and measuring, thus holding it securely, and enabling the plaits to be laid with great uniformity. The apertures m are designed for use in sewing buttons ontothe plaits and elsewhere on the work, the button being first secured by placing it under the gage, beneath the aperture, and pressing the gage and cloth firmly together, the needle, in sewing, passing through the aperture.

Having thus explained my invention, what I claim is- 1. The improved plaiting-gage described, consisting of the plate B, provided with a notch ,having the vertical side h and inclined side z, and a notch having the vertical side a and inclined side at, the distance between the point d and side It being the same as the distance between the sides a h, the whole being constructed and arranged to operate substantially as set forth and specified.

2. A plaiting-gage provided with notches having the vertical sides a, h and inclined sides a: z,-tern1inating in a circular recess, m, substantially as set forth and specified.

HENRY W. ATWATER.

Witnesses: I

H. E. METOALF, THOMAS H. PRYOR. 

